Rice baseball coach Matt Bragga selects assistants

New Rice baseball coach Matt Bragga named his assistant coaching duo on Tuesday.

Cory Barton will join the staff from Louisiana Tech, where he served as the pitching coach and was named the Conference USA Assistant Baseball Coach of the Year this season. Paul Janish, who joined the staff last year under former coach Wayne Graham, will be retained.

"Cory Barton came highly recommended from so many baseball people that I know and respect," Bragga said. "Each one of them raved about his ability to relate to young players, get the most out of everyone he is around, and about his amazing qualities as a human being. He is a competitor who has developed championship-caliber pitching staffs at each place he has coached."

At Louisiana Tech, Barton oversaw a pitching staff that lead the league and finished 25th in the nation with a 3.48 ERA. Their strikeouts-to-walks ratio (2.77-to-1) was C-USA's second-best—and 15th among Division I programs.

Prior to the Bulldogs, Barton spent three years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at McNeese State, helping the Cowboys to the 2017 Southland Conference regular season title. He also spent five seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Louisiana Monroe.

Matt Bragga gestures as he is introduced as Rice baseball coach during a news conference Thursday, June 21, 2018, in Houston. Bragga comes to Rice from Tennessee Tech. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Matt Bragga gestures as he is introduced as Rice baseball coach during a news conference Thursday, June 21, 2018, in Houston. Bragga comes to Rice from Tennessee Tech. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Photo: Brett Coomer/Associated Press

Photo: Brett Coomer/Associated Press

Image
1of/20

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 20

Matt Bragga gestures as he is introduced as Rice baseball coach during a news conference Thursday, June 21, 2018, in Houston. Bragga comes to Rice from Tennessee Tech. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Matt Bragga gestures as he is introduced as Rice baseball coach during a news conference Thursday, June 21, 2018, in Houston. Bragga comes to Rice from Tennessee Tech. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Photo: Brett Coomer/Associated Press

Rice baseball coach Matt Bragga selects assistants

1 / 20

Back to Gallery

"This is where Paul belongs," Bragga said of Janish. "My interview with him was supposed to last one hour, but it lasted almost six hours as the conversation about Rice, baseball and family made time fly."

Janish, a former major leaguer and member of Rice's 2003 national champion team, made his coaching debut this past season for the Owls. He's credited with helping develop former Owl Ford Proctor into a third-round pick in last month's MLB draft in addition to his work with current players Trei Cruz and Braden Comeaux.

"I'm so excited to have Paul and Cory on the Rice baseball coaching staff," Bragga said. "Both are hard-working with a love of the game. They will help us win championships."